HUM Insider | Musicara Special – Gio Levy

HUM Insider will be a series of blog posts where I will interview the many people behind HUM. This is your chance to get to know our incredibly diverse and magnificent team and maybe even see your friends’ (or your own) embarrassing interviews so you can laugh at them forever. Either way, we don’t judge. This month will feature a number of the performers who will be at Musicara. Read up about why they joined HUM, what inspires them in music, and most importantly, Squirtle, Charmander or Bulbasaur.

Daniel: So what inspired you to go into music?Gio: I was in high school, and I joined choir, picked up a guitar and it was just bliss. I had tried other things before but I found that I was just good at music. Within a few years I could play songs my friends who had already been playing for many years were playing.

Daniel: High school is pretty late to get into music isn’t it?Gio: Yeah it was! I was just addicted to video games before that. I would go to school then come home and play video games. After I found music, I starting making friends! Mind you, this was before the advent of MMOs, so I couldn’t make friends playing video games. Man, if those were around back then, I would probably not be a musician now. Might be a professional gamer.

Daniel: Do you still play now?Gio: Nope. I see all these new games with these amazing graphics but I just don’t have time to do it. I see my friends playing stuff like Dragon Age Inquisition and these games just don’t end. I’d probably end up installing a toilet in my gaming chair so I would never need to move.

Daniel: Speaking of having no time, how do you juggle all these different things you do?Gio: Not a lot of sleep, and not a huge social life. I work 8-5 and it takes a lot out of you, but you gotta make it work. I have to pay bills but I still want to do music. You just have to learn to prioritize and choose the projects that are amazing. Like you guys!

Daniel: Thanks! How did you actually get involved with HUM?Gio: I played with Steven when he was with Gardenburst a few years back. He just has such awesome energy and when he told me about HUM and the cause, it was just unbelievable and I knew this was something I would donate my time to.

Daniel: I’ve listened to some of your music, and what inspires it?Gio: Everyday life basically. I like writing about relationships. I’m not always the most lyrical, but I like making relate able topics.

Daniel: One of your songs, “On the Floor”, the dance move in that has become something of a cult legend with some of us.Gio: Oh no way! I gotta give credit to Anthony Ornado, one of my best buddies and a dancer. We were trying to come up with something signature I could do that basically anyone could do. I had some other moves in there with my hands and stuff. All the background dancers were just friends I recruited and we got to work filming the music video. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Daniel: Would you want to go into producing even bigger productions?Gio: I’d like to yeah, but it’s a lot of work. It’s all about collaboration and right now I’m just doing some smaller projects since I’m only one man. If I can get people together then for sure lets do it but for now I’m waiting for sponsorship or to get signed so I can focus on the music. If I try to focus on too many it’ll just be mediocre. It just has to be amazing.Daniel: Well right now you have a bit of stardom, do you ever get approached on the streets by random fans?

Gio: I have a funny story about that actually. I was having pho with Anna Toth a while back and this guy just came up to us and he knew both of us! When people take time to come up to me and talk to me, I really appreciate it. After shows, at the mall, whenever it happens, it’s always a very humbling experience. It also helps me to know that I should do what I am doing. All these people who support me, I feel like I can’t let them down. Like Rocky. Once he gets knocked down, he doesn’t just down. He gets back up to get beat again like a fool. I want to be that fool so to speak.

Daniel: Have you ever felt doubt that you can’t do it?Gio: Constantly yeah. I surround myself with positive people. I sucked for the longest time but I had so many people believe in me and it kept me going. I have the song I wrote in grade 12 and it sucked! I might release it one day as a joke but from then I have just kept going and trying.

Daniel: You still aren’t where you want to be though?

Gio: No…. Ed Sheeran, he moved from the UK to LA and did a ton of shows. He got booed at some, loved at others and he figured out what worked. Every gig is like a practice session and now look where he is. One show and it’s what we might earn in a year.

Daniel: Are we going to see Gio coming to 300 concerts near you?Gio: Oh please, please come to my shows. They won’t be as good as Musicara but please come out. There will be dancers and fireworks.

Daniel: I remember that you actually have a show coming up?

Gio: Yes! I’m planning this show with Trevor Hoffman on March 7th and it’s called “Double Helix” and it’s this CD release party of sorts. He has produced with six artists and we’ll all be there. It’ll be pretty great.

Daniel: Thanks for doing this and good luck with your upcoming show! Oh almost forgot: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or CharmanderGio: Charmander. Fire is just the coolest!